Backhaus

What Backhaus does

Backhaus is a privately held, founder-owned artisan bakery founded in 2016 by Anne Moser in her home kitchen in California. The business operates two brick-and-mortar retail locations in the San Francisco Bay Area: the San Mateo Flagship (32 3rd Avenue, opened 2019) and the Burlingame Outpost (261 California Drive, opened 2021). Both storefronts serve walk-in counter-service customers Tuesday through Sunday and emphasize a transparent, open-kitchen design with full visibility into the baking process.

The company produces naturally leavened artisan bread and pastries using traditional craft methods, including sourdough hearth loaves (country, seeded, porridge, tomato, olive varieties), baguettes, pan loaves, croissants, kouign amann, pretzels, and a rotating selection of savory and sweet pastries. A notable technical differentiator is the use of 100% house-milled, freshly stoneground flour for whole-wheat loaves, which provides a level of ingredient control uncommon in retail bakeries. Production relies on natural fermentation and bread-oven stone-deck baking rather than industrialized processes.

Backhaus generates revenue through three primary streams: in-store retail sales of breads, pastries, pretzels, and specialty coffee at both locations; custom pre-orders for pickup (subject to a $100 minimum and 48-hour advance notice); and physical and digital gift cards redeemable at both stores. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer with no wholesale, catering, or B2B distribution; the entire customer base consists of local Peninsula residents and visitors. Marketing is conducted almost entirely through earned media (notably SF Chronicle recognition) and an email newsletter, with no institutional capital or investor ownership disclosed. The company explicitly positions itself as an impact-driven local business rather than a growth-stage venture.

Name

Backhaus

Legal name

Backhaus

Website

https://backhausbread.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Backhaus is a privately held artisan bakery operating two retail locations in San Mateo and Burlingame, California, producing naturally leavened sourdough breads, pastries, pretzels, and specialty coffee using house-milled stoneground flour for local Peninsula community consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Bakery

NAICS

Retail Bakeries (311811), Baked Goods Retailers (445291)

SIC

Bakery Products (2050), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Artisan & Specialty Bakeries (Sourdough, Heritage Grains) (THAFAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cafe-Bakeries (Bakery + Coffee/Foodservice) (THAFAFAG)

Keywords

• Artisan bakery
• Sourdough bread
• Fresh pastries
• Specialty coffee
• Bakery gift cards

Headquarters

HQ city

San Mateo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail Bakery Sales: In-store sales of fresh-baked artisan breads, pastries, pretzels, coffee, and other beverages at both San Mateo and Burlingame locations. Products include sourdough loaves, croissants, kouign amann, pretzels, and seasonal specials.
2. Pre-Order and Special Orders: Custom pre-orders for pickup at Burlingame location with $100 minimum for special orders placed 48 hours in advance. Also includes holiday pre-orders such as Kouign Amann Day and Father's Day.
3. Gift Cards: Physical and digital gift cards available for purchase at both locations, redeemable for all purchases including drinks, baked goods, and retail/merchandise items.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Backhaus operates an artisan bakery that produces and retails naturally leavened sourdough breads, baguettes, pan loaves, croissants, Kouign Amann, pretzels, and sweet/savory pastries, baked fresh daily using house-milled stoneground flour and traditional hearth-oven methods. Products are sold at two walk-in bakery-café counters in San Mateo and Burlingame, California, with online pre-order pickup and gift cards as supplemental channels.

Product overview

Backhaus is an artisan bakery operating as a single unified brand with two brick-and-mortar locations in San Mateo and Burlingame, California. The product portfolio centers on naturally leavened, freshly baked artisan bread and pastries, including hearth loaves (sourdough varieties), baguettes, pan loaves, croissants, Kouign Amann, pretzels, savory pastries, and sweet pastries. The bakery also offers gift cards and custom pre-order services for special occasions. Backhaus's offerings are distributed through walk-in counter service at both locations and advance pre-orders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hearth Loaves

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Brisa RanchminorOthers · 1 January 2021In 2021, Backhaus became a pickup location for CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes from Brisa Ranch in Pescadero. This partnership supports local agriculture and sustainability while providing additional value to the local community.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Neighbor Bakehouse: San Francisco artisan bakery-cafe on Cortland Avenue producing hearth breads, croissants, and brunch items. Comparable cafe-bakery format with strong neighborhood identity.
• The Mill: San Francisco coffee-toast shop pairing Four Barrel coffee with artisanal bread and pastries. Directly comparable cafe-bakery format with coffee + pastry daypart.
• Tartine Bakery: Iconic San Francisco artisan bakery founded by Chad Robertson, famous for naturally leavened sourdough country loaves. Direct competitor in Bay Area artisan bakery category with similar craft credentials.
• Starter Bakery: Bay Area artisan bakery with Albany and SF locations producing naturally leavened breads and viennoiserie. Comparable small-batch craft production and Bay Area retail footprint.
• Manresa Bread: South Bay/Peninsula artisan bakery with cafes in Los Gatos and Soquel, focused on house-milled grains, sourdough, and viennoiserie. Closest geographic and product comp to Backhaus.
• Marla Bakery: San Francisco Mission district bakery-cafe producing naturally leavened breads and pastries with full breakfast/brunch service. Comparable Bay Area cafe-bakery format.
• Acme Bread Company: Berkeley-based Bay Area institution producing naturally leavened hearth breads, baguettes, and pastries via retail storefronts and wholesale. Comparable artisan sourdough production and Bay Area retail bakery model.
• Outerlands: San Francisco Sunset district cafe-bakery known for naturally leavened bread (Outerlands loaf) and full brunch service. Comparable cafe-bakery with artisan bread identity.
• Arsicault Bakery: San Francisco croissant and artisan bread specialist recognized among the nation's best by Bon Appetit and SF Chronicle. Directly comparable craft viennoiserie/laminated dough focus.

Emerging players

• Bread SRSLY: San Francisco gluten-free sourdough specialist bakery. Comparable Bay Area naturally leavened artisan production philosophy and small-batch craft focus, though niche gluten-free positioning differs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/backhausbread

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Backhaus